I recently re-read The Alchemist. The book seemed to keep popping up in my life, one friend was reading it and texted an image of the cover, another mentioned they finally decided to read it after having it sit on their bookshelf for years, then they couldn’t put it down. I had read it once several years ago after hearing it was the favorite book of my favorite basketball player, Ray Allen, as good a reason as any I suppose, but I couldn’t recall any of its contents. All that remained was a vague mental image of the story’s protagonist standing atop a tall sand dune, and really nothing else. How could I have read an entire book and remembered nothing of it? It must be a function of the quality of attention exerted while reading, which at that point was likely superficial and scattered.

An untouched copy sat upon my own bookshelf, not the one I had previously read, and I’m not exactly sure where this one came from - maybe a gift from some years ago. I’d resisted re-reading due to its massive popularity, likely out of some insecurity about being an unoriginal follower of the mainstream. But having two good friends separately reach out to me at about the same time was enough not to ignore, maybe a “sign” or an “omen,” whatever these words might mean.

I’ve become increasingly intrigued by the notion of such signs, and the potential skill or art form of noticing and responding to them. It seems the less habitually distracted I am in daily life, the more I notice themes or relationships between events that appear beyond coincidence, or that give coincidence a refreshed meaning. It’s possible that these relationships may provide bread crumbs toward a most meaningful life, a life of animating the blueprint of who one Truly Is, but it may be up to the individual to notice, follow, and act upon the connections. These thoughts had been germinating internally prior to my second experience with The Alchemist, and come to find the story acted as a vessel for a basic philosophy of noticing and responding to signs in order to fulfill one’s purpose in life.

Paolo Coelho uses the terminology of Omens and one’s Personal Legend. Per my subjective understanding of the philosophy, at the beginning of life, one’s story is written (maktub), their Personal Legend, their particular purpose in life, is pre-established. Prior to birth, the individual is one with the Soul of the Universe, and upon manifesting into life as a separate self, with a particular Personal Legend to fulfill, it is then up to the individual to notice and respond to Omens provided by the Soul of the Universe in order to ultimately fulfill their Legend. Characters in the story bemoan the fact that most of us lose touch with our Omens early in life. As children we are closely aligned with our Personal Legend and then we slowly forget who we are through the pressure of conformity and security. The Omens gradually give up on the individual due to repeated lack of response, like giving up on an old friend who never returns your calls. And that person finds themself lost in a banal existence removed from any underlying purpose. But the Omens are still there, waiting to be found, if we can just slow down, open up, and offer them unconditional invitation. They may not look the way we want them to. And they likely will push against our sense of comfort and predictability. But they may lead to a journey of Living that feels more like a Legend and less a familiar re-run.

While voraciously consuming the story, I was re-connected with the personal project of writing as my own sort of Personal Legend, both short form through these posts and long form through the completion of a book that has been sitting on the sidelines due to (perceived) demands of daily life. There is no clear instrumental outcome of this project, really no rational/logical reason-to do it, other than to express something that just feels “right” or “true.” When I stop and listen to the Omens surrounding me, they point in this direction: write. And it’s up to me to answer the call or to ignore.

You don’t need to believe in anything here. But if you choose to, you might take this as a sign to continue pursuing that thing, whatever it is, even if you only have a general sense of what it is, no matter the forces that dissuade or discourage you, and know that I’ll be trying my best to do the same.

*you might also peruse my reading list for other literary sources of inspiration (aka “omens”)

Let’s encourage

each other.

***On a final note, I’ve added an option at the end of these blog posts for you to make a small contribution if you’d like. Please only do so if you feel moved to, and know that your donation goes directly toward helping me continue to provide affordable individual guidance as well as create new content, such as this blog, in the name of increased well-being and reduced psychological suffering. One particular project I’m currently working on is a book that encapsulates my psychological, philosophical, and spiritual perspective on getting to know oneself deeply and getting out of one’s own way. If you’re so inclined, your contribution would support these efforts and would be greatly appreciated (click the button below to donate). Thank you for being here!